Machine for decorticating fibrous plants.



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Patented Oct. V, 1915.

.1. HOLLIER. MACHINE FOR DECORTICATING FIBROUS PLANTS. APPLICATION FILED IIIAYI9.II9I3 wia-@ ""OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO W. I. HOLLIER.

MACHINE FOR DECOHUCAHNG rlnous PLANTS. l v. APPLICATION FILED MAY I9. I9l3. P 1,155,730, A Patented Oct. o, 191:).

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. J. HOLLIER. MACHINE FORDECORTICATING FIBROUS PLANTS.

' APPLICAION FILED MAY 19. 1913. 1,155,730.

Patented Ot. 5, 1915.

e SHEETS-SHEET 3;

. I. HOLLIER. MACHINE FOR DECORTICATING FIBROUS PLANTS.

APPLICATION FILED 'MAY`I9. |913,

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

6 SHEETS-SHEET EN ZZ w.1. HoLLlEH. MACHINE FOR DECORTICATING FIBROUS PLANTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19. |913.

- Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

I w. I. HOILIER.

MACHINEFOR DECORTIQATING FIBROUS PLANTS. 1,155,730.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIs. 1913.

PfIIenIed OCI. 5,1915.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

1i ST 'rns an MACHINE FOR DECORTICATING- FIBROUS PLANTS.

Application ined May 19, 1913.

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, WALTER JOHN HOL- LIER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Im' ticularly adapted for recovering fiber from plants of the aloe and agave families, from New Zealand and Manila hemp, and from sansivera, penguin and the banana stalk.

In the embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which were made from a full size, commercial machine, I aim to provide more particularly for the treatment of the leaf plants as indicated above; but the principle of the invention may be equally well applied to the treatment of all characters of fibrous plants, including, among others of the stalk variety, ramie, hemp and jute, and more particularly flax, necessitating only such changes in form or proportion as may be required by the nature or size of the material to be treated.

Generally speaking, the machine comrises two revolving c linders mounted on the same shaft to rotate in unison, said cylinders being provided with rows of projecting pins around their circumference, and means for feeding the material lengthwise of these cylinders and into contact with the pins thereof in such manner that the outer cuticle and waste matter is removed from the fiber from first one portion of the leaf or stalk and then from the other.

A highly important feature of the invention is the fact that the plants are so fed that they are gradually acted upon by the cleaning parts of the cylinders, which operation obviates strain on the fiber and eliminates practically all loss of same. The

second cylinder is employed for decorticati ing the portion of the plant previously gripped by and closely adjacent to the feed carrier of the first cylinder, and which, therefore, cannot be cleaned by the first cylinder.

In an application for Letters-Patentof the United. States, filed by me on August 5th, 1912, Ser. No. 713,220, I describe and illustrate a decorticating machine comprising two revolving cylinders of different size,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

Serial No. 768,455.

and the present invention possesses many of the features and advantages characteristic of my previousinvention. The present machine, however, differs in construction and operation from my previous invention in many import-ant particulars, and among the desirable characteristics of the present machine I may mention that the feed mechanism for both cylinders is self-adjusting, so that one or several stalks or plants may equally well be gripped and conveyed by such mechanisms; practically the entire operating mechanism is covered and thereby protected from the access thereto of pulpy and woody particles which are combed from the plants by the action of the decorticating cylinders, and which, by getting into the running gear 0f the machine-when the same is unprotected, seriously interfere with the operatio-n thereof, and necessitate the frequent stopping 0f the machine to clean it; and, finally, the arrangement of the pins on the cylinders, combined with the method of feeding insures that the plants shall be gradually, as well asfprogressively, acted upon so that the strain on the fiber is reduced to the minimum, and there will be practically no breakage thereof.

In the drawings-Figure 1- is a view in front elevation of a machine constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a view in end elevation looking from the left-hand side of Fig. 1; Fig. 4C is a sectional view on the line 4f-4 of Fig. l, illustrating the construction of a compensating disk, forming an element ofthe feeding mechanism, and of the means for forcing the butt end of the stalks or leaves inward to enable them to be engaged by the pins of the cylinder; Fig. 5 is a view in front elevation of the compensating disk, the cap plate thereof being removed; Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 1 with the decorticating cylinders shown in dotted lines, and illustrating the location and arrangement of the plates for protecting the feed mechanism and other operating parts of the machine; Figs. 7 to 9 are diagrannnatic views illustrating the arrangement and location of the various members of the feeding mechanism and the drive therefor; Fig. 10 is a view in rear elevation showing a modified const-ruction of the device for forcing the butt ends of the material into contact with the decorticating cylinder; and Fig. 1l is a View in side elevation of the same.

- Referring lnow to these drawings, the numeral l indicates the base of the machine, and 2 an upright frame located at the rear of the base 1 and on which most of the operating parts of the machine, especially of the feeding mechanism, are mounted. Extending upwardly from the base 1 at each end thereof are standards 3, supported in bearings 4 on which is the main drive shaft 5 having a driving pulley 6 mounted on one end thereof. On the opposite end of the shaft is a worm 7 which meshes with a worm wheel 8 mounted on the end of a shaft 9 which is mounted in bearings 10 and has at its opposite end a gear 11. Mounted in endwise relation on the shaft 5, and separated by a slight distance from each other, are two decorticating cylinders 12, 13. Each of these cylinders comprises two heads 14,

1 5, which are connected -by bars 16each of said bars having two rows of pins 17 secured therein. The pins 17 of the cylinder 12 are.

obliauely disposed to the radii and v to this end the heads 14, 1,5, are provided with tangental recesses to receive the ends of thebars 16, so that the rear side of the bar, relative to the direction of the rotation of the cylinder, is elevated, thereby causing the pins 17 to project forwardly. The object of this construction is to enable the pins 17 to more readily pierce the material being treated.' In explanation I will state that in practice I have found that Where the pins project radially they tend at firstl to merely scrape the surface of the plant, so

that the latter will travel` some distance.

over the cylinder before being effectively acted upon by the pins. By arranging these pins tangentially as described, so that they will have a forward projection, their angle of inclination is such4 that -in the rotation of the cylinder they tend to at once pierce the plant or other material resting' upon and being passed over the cylinder for the purpose f of being decorticated. This'construotion is not so essential for the finishing cylinder 13, as the exigencies of operation insure that the butt ends of the leavesor stalks will be ef.-

or pulpy particles, and the like, from the liber, thus materially assisting in the cleaning operation.

The pinsJ on thc bars of each cvhndcr are pins 17 while the remainder of the lpins on the bar, till near the opposite endthereof,

are substantially locatedthe same-distance apart where one or more of the pins`17? may be separated a greater distancef from the"l others. j

One of the important featuresd of the present invention is the construction, arrangement and operat1on of the-endless complemental'traveling feedjmelnbers, andthese, with the manner of operating the same,'I will now describeilhefgear 11 before referred to, and whichiisdriyen from the main-shaft 5, is'injmesh with a largerV gearlSQmounted on a shaft`19, suitably supported in bearings on the base V1."On the shaft 19 is a sprocket wheel 20 over which runs a sprocket chain21 (see Figs. 1, 3 and -,9) 1which likewise passes around' a sprocket wheel 22 mounted on a shaft 23 which is parallel with the shaft 1 9, and supported in a similar manner. Mounted on the shaft 23 is a double sprocket wheel 24 (see Fig. 8) and on the shaft 19 is a similar double sprocket wheel 25. Above and in vertical alinement with the shafts 19 and 23 are stub shafts 26 and 27 ,on which are mounted sheaves 26, 27, and around the sprocket Wheels 24 and 25 and the sheaves 26l and 27 a extends an endless double sprocket chain 28 which is held to proper tension by means of a roller 29 bearing on the chain and mounted on the end of a tension arm'30 which is controlled by a lever 31, the upper end of which is normally drawn Voutward Vby a spring 32, in the usual manner. Mounted on the shaft 23 is a double sprocket wheel 33, and at the end of the machine, the left end, asv shown in Fig. 1, is mounted on a shaft 34 a sheave 35.

.Located above and substantially in vertical alinement with the sprocket wheel 33 and sheave 35 are sheaves 36 and 37, the sheave 36 bein located on a shaft 36 and the sheave 37 on t e shaft 26, and` around said sheaves and sprocket wheel is :passed a double sprocket chain 38, sa'id chain passing over a grooved idler-39 and under a similar grooved idler 40 from which, however, it is separated by another feed chain to be described. A tension roller 38L on an arm 38b controlled by a lever-38 through the medium of a spring 38*1 maintains the proper tension of the chain 38. Above the sheave 36 is mounted a sheave 41 on a shaft 42 (see Figs. 1 and 7), and above the sheave 26 is mounted a shea-ve 43 on a shaft 43a. Around the sheaves 41 and 43 passes a double sprocket vchain 44 which also passes over the guide pulley 39 on top of the Chain 38, and under thel guide pulley 40 between said guide pulley and the chain 38, and partly over the sheave 26a.A The chain 44 is separated from the latter sheave, however, by the said chain 28 which runs on said sheave. The chain 44 is rotated by frictional contact with the chain 38, and is maintained at the proper tension by means of a roller 45 bearing thereon and mounted on the end of a tension device 46, having an arm 47 normally pulled inward by a spring 48. The shaft 43L is located beyond or to the left of the vertical center of the shaft 26. Located in a similar manner beyond or to the right of the vertical center of the sha-ft 27, and in `horizontal alinement with the shaft 43, is a shaft 49 on which is mounted a sheave 50. Between the shafts 43a and 49 is mounted a vstub shaft 51 on which is rotatably mounted la yielding or compensating friction feed` 50, and passing over and under the feed disk 52 is a flexible feed belt 54, which is preferably constructed of leather with an outer facing of rubber. The sheaves 53 and 5() are so positioned relative to the sheaves 26a and 27a, and the diameter of the compensating feed disk 52 is such that the feed belt 54 will travel in contact with the feed chain 28 from a-v point immediately under the sheave 53 to a point immediately under the sheave 50, the greater diameter of the, feed disk 52 causing the belt 54 and chain 28 to be depressed in the space between the sheaves 26a and 27 a, the purpose of this being to carry the material being decorticated in a downward direction so thatits ,butt end maybe brought into contact with the pins of the nishing cylinder 13.

It will be observed that the bottom of the sheave 41 is located some distance above thetop of the sheave 36, thereby providing a space 55 between the twoi opposing feed chains 38 and 44, which constitute a feed opening for permitting the insertion of the material to be decorticated between the two chains. This space gradually narrows, however, owing to the fact that the chain 44 travels at an incline to the chain 38 until, at' a point in line with the vertical axis ofthe guide pulley 39, the opening disappears vand the two chains 38 and.. 44 travel in contact with each other. Thus the material inserted in the space 55 is gradually gripped by the chains 38 and 44 and carried by them over and past the decorticating cylinder ,12,

whence it is carried upward and passed between the feed chain 28 and the feed belt 54 by which means it is carried over and past the inishing cylinder 13. As shown by Fig. 3, the feed belt 54 and endless feed chain 28 are located in a plane in advance of the plane in which the feed chains 38 and 44 are located. Thus when the material passes off ofthe cylinder 12 its d acorticated portion is Mounted on the shaft 43 ,Y

gripped between the feed chain 28 and the belt 54 at the same time that the untreated butt end passes from between the feed chains v,38 and 44. It is now necessary that the butt end be turned to a position to enable it to be treated by the pins of the iinishing cylinder 13. For accomplishing this operation the preferred construction, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, comprises a disk 56 which is loosely mounted on a series of pins 57 projecting from the rear side of the feed disk 52. Coil springs 58 are interposed between the said disk 52 and the disk 56 which tend normally to pressA the disk 56 away from the feed disk 52, and the disk 56 is held on the pins by means of nuts 59.

The numeral' 6() indicates a bolt which has screw-threaded engagement in a bearing 61 provided in the upright frame member 2, and is adapted to be held in adjusted positions therein by a nut 62. The inner end of the bolt 60 is provided with a head 63 in which is mounted a roller 64 which bears on the outer side of the disk 56 near the bottom thereof, sothat as said disk is rotated by the feed disk 52 its lower side will be forced inward or toward the pins 65 of the cylinder 13. Thus as the butt end 66 of the material passes from between the feed chains 44 and 38 it will be engaged by the disk 56, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and gradually bent downward and inward so that it will be engaged by the pins 65 and be decorticated. The feed chain 28 and belt 54 engaging the portion of the plant that has already been decorticated by the pins of the cylinder 12 carry the material over the cylinder 13 and finally discharge it at the right of the machine, as shown in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 10 and 11 I have shown a modified construction of apparatus for effecting the turnin in of the butt end of the plant. Accordingto this construction the rear side of the feed disk 52 isprovided with a circular series'bf cam teeth 67. A sleeve 68 surrounds the shaft 5l and pivot-ally mounton this sleeve is a lever 69 having toward Lits lower end a spring arm which bears against the rear face of the disk and normally presses the upper end of the lever into contact with the cam teeth 67. On the lower end of the lever 69 is mounted a plate 7l which operates in the same manner as the disk 56 to engage the butt ends of the plants and force them inward toward the pins of the cylinder 13. As the cam teeth 67 engage the upper end of the lever 69 the plate 71 1s forced inward toward the cylinder 13, and as the end of the lever 69 passes off of each cam tooth the spring 70 forces the plate 71 outward or away fromthe cylinder 13. A movable member, such as the disk 56 or the plate 71, is found necessary for guiding the butt end of the plants into contact with the pins of the cylinder 13, as it has been found invention, as it permits me to utilize a relatively wide opening to accommodate different sizes of plants, and a greater or less thickness of material, where a number of superposed stalks or plants are inserted at the same time.

When the decorticated portion ofthe plant passes between the feed chain 28 and the feed belt 54, it is necessary to providel means, such as the disk 52, for maintaining the rubber faced belt 54 in firm contact lwith the material, as these two feed members have to grip the finely shredded portion of the material, whereas the grip of the chains 44 i and 38 is on the portion of the plant that has not been decorticated. It is further necessary that the device used to force the feed belt 54 into firm contact with the Afeed chain 28 should be yielding, as otherwise when a large body of material reached such device, it would not pass under it and would chock the machine. In the case of the disk 52, the latter would simply revolve without turning the feed belt 54, or, more properly. the chain 28 would move without rotating the belt 54, as the belt 54 and the feed disk 52 are rotated byfrictional contact of the belt 54 with said feed chain and the disk 52.

To provide for such yielding of the feet disk l employ the construction illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, which will nowbe described.

The numerals 72 indicatie leaf springs which are secured centrally by means of screws 73 to tlii periphery of the disk four of such springs being shown. Surrounding the disk 52 is a ring 74 which is provided with an annular flange 75 against which the opposite. ends of the 'leaf springs bear. The disk 52 is provided with a radial flange 76 against which a radial flange 77 on the ring 74 bears. and the said ring is held in contact with the radial flange of the disk 52 by means of a face. plate 78 which is secured to thc face of the disk 52 by means of screws 79. The springs 72 engage the ring 74 with sullicient force to cause the ring to rotate with the disk 52. Should,

however, material of unusual thickness passbetween the chain 28 and belt 54 at the point beneath the feed disk. the springs 72 will permit the said ring to yield and assume the position shown in F ig. 5. thereby accommodating the material and permitting it to pass through. It willV be understood that the fianges 76 and 77, and the flange 75 and face plate 78 have a sliding contact so that. the ,ring 74 may have a radial movement relative to the disk 52 while being maintained in position thereon.

In order to facilitate the passage of the decorticated material as it leaves the feed chains'38 and 44 between the feed chain 28 and feed belt 54, I provide on the outer face of the sheave 53 a disk 80 having a serrated periphery, as indicated at 81, so that in the rotation of the she-ave 53 the teeth 8l will engage the shredded portion ofthe plant and force it into the space between the feed chain 28 and feed belt 54.

As heretofore mentioned, a characteristic feature of the present invention is the fact that the operating parts of the machine, including the feeding mechanism, are protected from access thereto of particles of wood and pulp. 'lhe two feed mechanisms, with their driving and supporting parts, are located, respectively, in parallel planes. To protect these parts I secure on suitable supports, mounted on the upright frame 2, upper plates 82 and 83, and a lower plate 84, which are placed in front of the mechanisms referred to. and are separated, as to the plates 82 and 84, along the line of the path of the feed chains so as t0 present a narrow slit or opening 85 which permits the passage through the machine of thfe material to be treated. There is also a plate 8G be neath the plate 83, which conforms in contour to the cylinder 18 and protects the parts immediately behind it. The plate 84 extends the entire length of the machine` and is provided with a circular opening 87 which permits room for the turning of the butt end of the plant for its decortication by thesecond cylinder. The plate 82 has a rearwardly extending portion 88 which extends over the feed chains and the operating parts beneath, and the plate 83 is provided with a rearwardly and downwardly extending portion 89 which forms a housing to cover the. operating parts at the rear end of the machine. An opening 90 is provided in the plate 84 for the passage therethrough of the belt which will run on the pulley 6.

I have also heretofore referred to the feed mechanisms as being self-adjusting, and have particularly described the manner of accomplishing this result in connection with the feed mechanism of the seconddecortieating cylinder wherein a compensating disk is employed. The same result is se-c cured in the case of the feed chains 38 and 44 by reason of the fact that one or the other of these chains is always free to yield. neither of the feed chains having on its outer side a fixed or movable guide, such as is customarily employed. This will be apparent from an inspection of the drawings where. it will be seen that as both chains pass over the guide pulleys 39 and 40 in superposed relation,one\or the other of these chains is always on the outside, and free to yield to accommodate greater thicknesses of material inserted between them.

A feed table 91, extending in line with, but slightly below, the chain 38 and having a rearwardly extending portion 92 provided with a vertically-disposed fiange 93, is.

mounted on the frame of the machine for receiving the material to be fed between the chains 38 and 44.

I claim:

1. A machine for decorticating fibrous plants comprising a pair of rotatable decorticating members, feeding means for conveying material over the first of said mem bers, feeding mechanism travelingl in a curved path for conveying the material over the second of said members comprising an endless chain and an endless belt traveling in contact therewith, and means normally exerting a yielding pressure on said belt for forcing it into firm contact with said chain.

2. A. machine for decorticating fibrous plants comprising a pair of rotatable decorticating members, means for conveying the material over the first of said members, means for conveying t-he material over the second of said members comprising an endless chain and an endless belt traveling in contact therewith, and a compensating disk around which the said belt and chain are passed whereby to hold the belt in yielding Contact with the chain.

3. A machine for decorticating fibrous plants comprising a pair of rotatable decorticating members arranged in endwise relation, feed mechanism for each of said conveyers, the feed mechanism of the first member being located in a plane in advance of the feed mechanism of the second member, and said feed mechanisms being so arranged that the first will deliver its material to the second, and movable means cooperating with the second feed mechanism for turning the portion of the plant engaged by the first feed mechanism into contact with the second decorticating member."

4. A machine for decorticating fibrous plants comprising a pair of rotatable decorticating cylinders arranged in endwise relation, feedmechanism for each of said cylinders, the first of which is adapted to deliver the material to the second, a member mounted adjacent 'to the second decorticat- ,ing cylinder and adapted to be engaged by .the plant as it passes into its feed mechaticating cylinders arranged in endwise re-V lation, feeding mechanism for each of said cylinders, the one being adapted to deliver material to the other, and means for turning the end of the plant engaged by the .first feed mechanism into contact with the second decorticating cylinder, comprising a rotatable member located adjacent to said second decorticating cylinder, a disk carried thereby' and located in the path of the plant, springs tending normally to force said disk away from its rotating member, and a. fixed contact member engaging said disk near the outer edge thereof and operating to press the edge portion of said disk inward or t0- ward its rotating member in the rotation thereof, whereby to turn the butt end of the plant downward into engagement with the said second decorticating cylinder.

6. In a machine of the class described, in combination with an endless feed chain and an endless belt arranged to travel in contact therewith, means for forcing said belt yieldingly into contact with said chain comprising a rotatable disk having springs secured on its periphery, a ring encircling said disk and frictionally engaged and sup ported on its inner side by said springs, and means for housing the said ring on said disk, the said belt passing over and under the said ring.

7. ln a machine of the class described, in combination with the decorticating members, complemental endless conveyors between which the material is adapted to be gripped and fed through the machine, and upper and lower sets of cover-plates interposed between the conveyers and the decorticating members and having their meeting edges separated along the line of feed.

l'n testimony whereof, l have hereunto set lmy hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER JUHN HOTJER. ll'itnesses r JULIA M. LAURENT, STELLA HILL. 

